Remap dead Left Arrow key onto Menu key? (Solved)

[nancy reagan]

Hi

My z-key is dead

1. What could I type to resolve this and

2. Where - should I type it, terminal ?

Lucid 525

Sorry for being just a wannabee user.

[aarf]

hello nancy reagan

type this

Code: Select all

# xmodmap -pk

in a terminal.

look for something like these lines

52 0x007a (z) 0x005a (Z) 0x007a (z) 0x005a (Z)

110 0xff13 (Pause) 0xff6b (Break) 0xff13 (Pause) 0xff6b (Break)
note the numbers at the beginning of the line are the numbers of the keys on your keyboard maybe different from 52 and 110.

then you have to swap the key numbers in
/etc/X11/xkb/keycodes/xfree86

then delete the wheeled icon files in /var/lib/xkb
reboot.
hopefully that will make your "pause/break" key into a z

[Dougal]

puppeee4.4rc2

Code: Select all

  # xmodmap -e "KeySym Pause = BackSpace"
xmodmap:  unknown command on line commandline:1
xmodmap:  1 error encountered, aborting.
 
# xmodmap -e "Keysym Pause = BackSpace"
xmodmap:  unknown command on line commandline:1
xmodmap:  1 error encountered, aborting.

# xmodmap -e "keycode 110 = BackSpace"
#
# xmodmap -e "keysym Pause = BackSpace"
# 

Ok, so the capitalization was wrong...

testing pause /break immediately afer above still opens a calenda.
however

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# xmodmap -pk

110    	0xff08 (BackSpace)	0x0000 (NoSymbol)	0xff08 (BackSpace)	

Are there any repeated names? Maybe BackSpace twice?

this code changes the 110 key:

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# xmodmap -e "keysym Pause = BackSpace"
# 

but it doesnt backspace and doesnt hold through restart X, 110 reverts to previous.

Maybe you need to "unset" a different key which holds the same symbol -- for me PrtSc (111) doesn't work with "Print" because it is assigned to a different key first:

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 xmodmap -pk | grep Print
     92         0xff61 (Print)  0xff15 (Sys_Req)        
    111         0xff61 (Print)  0xff15 (Sys_Req)        
#

And doing it in a terminal will obviously not hold past a restart... that's why you put it into ~/.Xmodmap.

[Mitchellray]

Hello,
As directed, in /etc/X11/xkb/keycodes/xfree86 I just mapped the functions I needed onto keyboard keys that were still working properly, but that I rarely if ever would use.

Then, I thought that I would need to remove the original function mappings from those borrowed keys so I # commented out the lines in /etc/X11/xkb/keycodes/xfree86 that were there for those now borrowed keys.

I did not need to modify any other file. I guess maybe the thread is now redirected to a new question that is more in depth than my original simpler one. I'm glad you were able to help me out in terms I could understand.
I did perform this in Puppeee, not Puppy if that is the difference.
Mitchellray

[aarf]

puppeee4.4rc2 just briefly have /.Xodomap in place. altered .xinitrc .
key alterations hold through reboot in # xmodmap -pk
BUT
/etc/X11/xkb/keycodes/xfree86 remains unchanged at original. break/pause still just produce a calenda..